Strategies supporting women's engagement with specialist perinatal mental health services after traumatic pregnancy or birth: A qualitative study.

PROBLEM: Limited research has explored women's experiences of engaging with specialist perinatal mental health services for trauma.

BACKGROUND

Perinatal psychological trauma is common and impacts the woman, her baby and family. Engagement with services is a critical first step in receiving interventions that support recovery.

AIM: This study aimed to explore women's experience of accessing specialist perinatal mental health services following a psychologically traumatic pregnancy or birth, and to identify strengths and areas for improvement in service delivery.

METHODS

This qualitative descriptive study employed in-depth interviews with a purposeful sample of nine women to explore their experiences.

FINDINGS: Two themes were developed: seeking perinatal trauma support and healing trauma through compassionate encounters. Women experienced a wide variety of traumatic events that affected their physical and mental wellbeing, relationships and subsequent pregnancy planning. They described overcoming initial reluctance to engage with the service due to fear of judgement and perceived stigma associated with perinatal mental health. The therapeutic relationship formed with a known healthcare professional was instrumental in helping women to address their trauma.

CONCLUSION

Compassionate care from non-judgemental and consistent specialist perinatal mental health clinicians is central to sustained engagement with SPMHS and perinatal trauma recovery. Advocacy within the therapeutic relationship plays a pivotal role in helping women with trauma histories navigate the maternity healthcare system during current or subsequent pregnancies. These findings provide further evidence for the role of specialist perinatal mental health services in supporting women with perinatal psychological trauma and can inform future policy and service design.